Genre Research Activity

The Science Behind Science - Fiction successfulness 

What is Science Fiction?

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi) is a genre that concentrates on the future and examines how science and technology could change human life. An interesting fact that differentiates science fiction from other genres is that its targeted audience's characteristics have a very wide spectrum. Still, there are some common trends among the audience, such as ages 45 to 65. Most of the audience are males and are generally wealthier than the traditional people. 

 

Content:

A common characteristic among Sci-Fi films is the representation of common rhetorical questions among the audience. This refers to the personal or famous theories that might be very common in society but don't have a specific answer at the moment. Such topics include time travel and a voyage between physical magnifying laws such as space and time manipulation with the help of advanced technology that might be nonexistent or complex to create in reality. Ex: An interesting example is the Avengers: Endgame film when the main characters reunite to go back to the past to solve the biggest conflict of the plot with the uncertainty of the final result of their decisions. The majority of the film demonstrates how quantum time travel and science could save humanity. Causing the audience to wonder about all the infinite possible outcomes that the movie might have had.

Extraterrestrial life and the situation of getting to know or discovering the existence of another living species is another common characteristic among Science Fiction films. However, there might be different outcomes of these situations, either positive or negative. Some films have presented how a human can create a deep connection among extraterrestrial beings and the existence of a friendship with unknown living beings. Ex: A clear example of these interactions is the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which provides the audience a much more positive outcome. Between a boy and an extraterrestrial being, 

The themes of being untrusted to technology and the magnifying and crescent power of artificial intelligence are also commonly reinforced throughout the films. The danger of how advanced and intelligent technology can affect human safety and become uncontrollable even for humans is shown. Enhancing the conflict of human vs technology. Ex: The Avengers: Age of Ultron film describes how even the most intelligent and calculated scientists or people around the world's creations can turn against them and become uncontrollable even for them. The main conflict of the film is when a human creation with good intentions turns against its mentor.

These films usually address societal problems such as political, economic, and scientific issues, centering on what the future would be like if society continued to coexist under these rules and the consequences of the desire to reach perfection by violating ethical universal rules, commonly presented through conflicts between humanity and their technological inventions. 

 

Production Techniques:

In addition, the Science Fiction production techniques work together to create a futuristic ambiance and sentiment towards the audience. Due to this purpose, visual effects are usually implemented to impose the futuristic idea and environment on the audience. Science fiction films implement a formal design since the usage of a futuristic aesthetic is prioritized.  The lighting technique used is mostly high-key light since it is intended to represent a clear and direct image of the situation presented during each scene. When it comes to set design, the use of robotic objects and technology around the characters and settings creates a symbolism of futuristic and a sense of innovation and causes an astonishing feeling among the audience. The use of cool, neutral, and pastel colors, such as light green and blue, emphasizes the sense of seriousness and sleekness to support the overall futuristic ambiance.   

Ex: The movie Ex Machina follows some of these rules, implementing a more serious tone. The props and objects that interact with the main characters often tend to be alive or possess some degree of human consciousness (such as robots, artificial intelligence, or devices), which enhances the feeling of impression but might also make viewers uncomfortable, causing distrust towards the nonhuman characters. In various science fiction films, the locations are created using computers or a green screen since the majority of the objects, characters, places, etc., shown on screen are nonexistent and are predictions of the future. When it comes to a more realistic setting, scientific laboratories, research buildings, and hospitals are visible, and there is less need to use a green background or complete computer editing. 

Some examples are spaceships, places in outer space, or other planets where the rules of these locations might be slightly different from Earth, such as gravity, temperature, and various creatures and animals, which are only successfully depicted by computer programs and advanced editing. The costume designs are specifically connected to each character and the futuristic concept, such as wearing many neutral and light colors that represent innovation and intelligence without saturating the audience with a wide variety of bright colors. Makeup also tends to be very basic and simple; however, depending on the character, for example, to show power, they might have a rare eye and hair color or lines or shapes around their face. There is usually a very light inclusion of sounds. An example of some of these concepts is the Blade Runner 2049 film. They mostly include orchestral, experimental, and electronic sounds to connect them with a specific scene and enhance the inner idea of the visual elements for the audience. 

Institutional conventions

Among these films, there are similar marketing strategies, such as using internet social apps and media to share and spread upcoming projects in a much easier and faster way as time goes by. Another clever movement for marketing is the cast of the film. The directors collaborate with famous actors around the entertainment industry, as presented in the film Don't Look Up, with the collaboration of actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence.

As well as mentioning or attributing past famous actors or historical people, enhancing their fanbase to be interested in these films. Finally, directors and marketing specialists have shown interest in the soundtrack and the artists, so its fanbase increases audience engagement. For instance, in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes movie, the collaboration with an artist like Olivia Rodrigo to be included in the soundtrack made the engagement and overall performance of the films successful and expanded to broader audiences.

Samples: 

The film I, Robot represents a world in which robots created by humans reach a level of intelligence in which their purpose is to serve and help humans for a good cause. However, as the film goes on, the robots become evil and break their dependence on humans, and finally, the lesson of how dangerous technology can be and how it might be more intelligent than humans but would never have the sense of humanity and emotions a real human being which is why there is distrust from the main character. The film plants a seed of curiosity in the audience about how different the world might be when technology reaches this advancement point. It also critiques society on how classist it can be at some point in the sense of creating a group of conscious beings just to serve and pleasure humans, as well as how technology will never have entirely human traits like feelings and emotions. The film enhances very futuristic places and settings, focusing more on a formalism category. It enhances the idea of colors disappearing as well as human sentiment, creating a more serious and scientific ambiance. The color pallet of cool tones, greige shades, and light pastels aren't only on purpose for places but also for clothes, since most of the characters just wear black, white, grey, etc., and those are also the colors of most of the rooms they are in, especially when it comes to being more related to robots being near. It includes props that aren't real, in this case, robots, which interact with the main character, a human, and other characters. There isn't a repeated music melody. Still, there are some artificial sounds included. Overall, this film embodies what science fiction represents in terms of showing a future situation that humanity might go through and makes the audience question the consequences of these actions. 

The film Interstellar embodies a science fiction film in which outer space exploration takes place. Like other films that fall into this genre, it shows what would happen if such advanced space technology was achieved to the point of going to outer space to resolve a problem regarding humanity. It regards the conflict in which one of the main characters decides to embark on a trip, which leads to ruin many aspects of his life. It reflects the societal problem of risks and giving up on humanity and terrestrial experiences such as family and the importance and value of quality time with loved ones. Creating a conflict of human vs time, one of the main characters could see the past that he missed just to learn the value of it. During the majority of the film, the colors used are cool and neutral. In Scenes in which they are in outer space, there isn't much life around, which is represented by the lack of color. Also, many of the objects around, as well as backgrounds, were created by computer or a green screen since they aren't real objects. Overall, this film embodies the strong impact that advanced technology can have, which might be negative sometimes, even if it comes from a positive purpose. It reminds the audience how valuable human traits are, and as well as many other Sci-Fi films, the theme and moral that although science might be recently more intelligent than humans and further due better and a necessity for problem-solving, this might not always be absolute and time is limited, so the most important thing is to enjoy and get the most of our human traits, emotions, and feelings. 

Some Science Fiction films to consider:

Alien (1979) 

Avatar (2009)

John Carter (2012)

The Terminator (1984)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Gattaca (1997)

Representation

Representation patterns in Gilmore Girls

Representation is the way that media creators choose to portray reality or its aspects. In the 2000s show Gilmore Girls, diverse characters and techniques allow for discussion of representation. The show is constructed mostly of medium, two, and long shots. The decisions showcase full movement and action, such as when the main characters move around town, going from one location to another and offering the ability to use gestures to aid communication. This allows the viewer to see some background and provides more opportunities for expression, establishing relationships, and interactions between the characters. For instance, most of the characters, including the two main characters of the show, Rory Gilmore and Lorelai Gilmore, are usually shown within these shot types, emphasizing their mother-and-daughter relationship throughout the narrative, as well as showing their humanity, naturalness, and simplicity, with which the audience can identify and feel included in the conversations and overall storyline.

The editing and movement techniques are minimalistic, employing only simple and short focus pulls, panning and tilting movements, and tracking shots. These choices create a calm and serene atmosphere throughout the story, which directly reflects the main tone of the film, enabling diverse situations to be easily understood by the audience. Sounds are usually synchronized with what is viewed as well as diegetic, which enhances the realism of the plot and the normality of the characters. However, there is a sound motif of a musical melody along the different episodes, which is utilized mostly to represent the resolution of the main conflict of each episode, usually found at the end of each episode in which Rory and Lorelai have a conversation or concluding scene about what was previously shown throughout the episode. As well as a reconciliation among the characters, creating a sense of relief and satisfaction within the audience. The show’s main targeted audience is the American people, who are very similar to the main and overall characters presented, which the audience can relate to.

The selection and stereotypes included in the show can be analyzed and presented in how different ethnicities, races, religions, and traditions are represented. For instance, most of the characters, including the main characters Rory and Lorelai, in the film are white American people who are shown as people who love junk food, television, and movies. Asian people are often depicted as nerds, intelligent, conservative, and very religious and overprotective, mostly adults. French characters are represented as rude, fashionable, and skeptical.

One of the main characters, Lorelai Gilmore, is an unmarried young mom, and throughout the film there can be seen numerous stereotypes about these women and how society perceives them. For instance, they are portrayed as “easy,” unable to save for their kid’s college, irresponsible, and selfish. However, as the film advances, the audience can notice that, in some way, the representation of this character is not completely true to the harmful stereotypes created, showing that there is much more depth to her life than what stereotypes make people believe. Lastly, the other main character, Rory Gilmore (Lorelai’s daughter), is a Yale student, and she is depicted throughout as a curious, intelligent student. Throughout the film, there is a majority rule impact since the show was one of the first of the decade to show historically underrepresented groups such as women (especially single and unmarried), people with a range of body sizes, social ideologies such as feminism, and topics like teen pregnancy and family issues. Make the contraposition that a woman can be independent and successful regardless of the negative ideologies upon them.

Sound Project

 Sound Project 

After watching the videos provided and learning more about foley sounds, I was able to choose a variety of different sounds that I could add to my project. For instance, I was able to get inspiration and choose different sounds for scenes that show footsteps, scenes where it is raining, or scenes with loud wind. With the help of these videos, I was able to add ideas and methods to my notes. The videos not only inspired me to be creative and experiment with different sounds but also to appreciate the work of individuals who implement their creativity on amazing films and creations around the world. 

For the sound project, we were able to learn how to tell a story through sound effects and other auditory techniques. Working in partners, we brainstormed ideas for scenes that were school-appropriate and could be developed in a 1-2 minute timespan. We could include a maximum of 7 words throughout the film.  

We shared different ideas and experiences we had in common, and we knew that other people also might have experienced. Consequently, a goal that we wanted to achieve was for the audience to identify or relate to the scene being described. With these ideas and goals, we completed a brainstorming sheet, which then came to be an outline of the order of each sound chronologically. We included as many details as we could and organized each idea as logically as possible. We chose the scene of a "midnight snack (drink)," in which, with the use of foley sounds, we described the process of going to the kitchen at midnight to get a drink.

Brainstorming/Outline sheet 

While creating the ad and recording the sounds, we tried to be as creative as possible and implement different objects to create the sounds, such as a refrigerator, wooden floor, etc. We were also inspired by the videos we previously saw and the notes we took from them. 

 When it came to editing the sounds together, I utilized the iMovie app since I was already familiar with its features and sound tools. With the iMovie app, I was able to edit the different sounds in a much easier and faster way compared to other apps, as well as in a much more comfortable and accessible way. 

Editing process image

Lastly, after analyzing the final product of our project, I am really proud and happy about how it resulted, I believe we were wise and creative when it came to the organization of each sound, and an effective and successful order was created. However, I believe next time, we could improve the quality of some sounds by implementing special microphones or special sound devices so some sounds could be captured in a much more professional way. 

Official link of our Soundscape Project: https://youtu.be/4gLsvypDi28

One Word Film

  One Word Film

For the One Word Film project, we worked in pairs to creatively represent an assigned word through a short film (Our word was "cruel"). With a brainstorming sheet and a 15-slide storyboard, we had to outline our planned shots and editing techniques. Then, film the footage, focusing on storytelling without using dialogue and ensuring to capture all the necessary visuals. During the editing process, we had to make sure that the film was 60-90 seconds long, using only instrumental audio or sound effects. Finally, we had to name our project file and submit all materials by the specified due dates.

During the brainstorming process, my partner and I were able to share ideas and create the main idea or message that we wanted to express. We wrote the action that would take place for each shot, nd wrote down some of the editing techniques that were were interested in using later on. 

While creating the storyboard, my partner and I could visualize each scene and agree on where the camera should be placed to capture each shot and its message. When editing the project, I used the iMovie app since it was the most practical and the one I was already familiar with. This app provided a variety of tools to express the overall idea. 

When analyzing the final product, I was proud of how the time was productively used, the situation was originally represented, and the distribution of actions taking place on each shot. Nonetheless, some details that could be improved were the distribution of editing techniques along the film and the length of each shot so the final project could engage  the audience  

Shots and Angles Quiz

  August 30, 2024

Shots and Angles Quiz 

For this assignment, we were instructed to create a story using specific shot types to accurately illustrate our idea and develop tone. We had to choose one or two inanimate objects and create a presentation with 15 shots including an establishing shot, a long shot, two medium shots, two close-ups, an extreme close-up, a point of view shot, any type of shot using a high angle, and any type of shot using a low-angle. The assignment's main purpose was to create a story that is purely developed through our choices of visuals and the organization of various shot types.

I approached the development of my final product by planning out the content and organization of all shots. My plan was illustrated as a short list. On this list, I included the shot type and the content or explanation for each shot. I used my notes from class while writing down the list to choose the best shot type for each scene. I kept the list with me while taking the pictures so I could constantly check the specific purpose of each shot. I had to repeat some shots to make sure the story was successfully clear and developed. After I was satisfied with all of the pictures, I edited some of them by adding details if necessary to make each shot message clear.  

With the use of objects like chairs, water bottles, and paper, the presentation illustrates the story of two characters, Pink Bottle and Blue Bottle, and they are about to walk into school. The school implemented metal detectors that can detect phones (which aren't allowed inside of school). However, Pink Bottle decides to take her phone with her, and the detector beeps. Pink Bottle receives a warning. Then, both characters talk about the situation and go to class. During class Pink Bottle decides to take her phone from her out of her but Blue Bottle takes it from her and tells her to follow the rules. At the end, the school bell rings and the story ends.

 One of my biggest goals was to demonstrate the characters' friendship and how the conflict affected their bond. I believe that the most important details implemented during the shots were “facial expressions” and the camera placements so the audience could interpret the character's feelings and thoughts throughout the story in a much easier and more successful way. After receiving feedback and reflecting on my project, I concluded that there were some details that I could improve for next time. For instance, the establishing shot on the second slide didn't contain many characteristics that made it look like an iconic representation of the place. Yet, the story was simple to follow through the shot choices and organization.